Kansas City, Missouri – Considered by many pundits to be nothing more than an opponent for Karl “Psycho” Amoussou, John “The Iron Bull” Doyle sent a message Thursday afternoon during weigh-ins for “HDNET FIGHTS PRESENTS M-1 BREAKTHROUGH” that he did not venture to Kansas City to lose.

Amoussou vs. Doyle will be just one of seven total bouts to be featured during Friday’s HDNet telecast (10 p.m. ET) that will emanate from the historic Memorial Hall in Kansas City (tickets still available at Ticketmaster.com).

After weighing in, both Doyle and Amoussou were asked to partake in a pre-fight stare down intended as nothing more than a photo opportunity. However, what ensued was nearly a premature start to “Breakthrough,” with Amoussou and Doyle looking eager to lock horns a day early.
Amoussou, voted Sherdog.com’s number one European MMA prospect, tried to psyche out Doyle much in the way that his idol, former PRIDE middleweight champion Wanderlei Silva, used to try to intimidate his opposition. However, when Amoussou pushed his forehead into Doyle’s, the resurgent “Iron Bull” informed Amoussou that he didn’t want to be touched.

A second attempt was made to take a face off photo but Amoussou once again tried to get into Doyle’s head. With Amoussou not heeding his call, Doyle jammed his forehead into Amoussou before M-1 Global officials ended the photo opportunity early.

Amoussou is a French phenom who serves as an undercover police officer in his native France. With many International viewers not having access to HDNet, www.M-1Global.com is offering a special Internet pay-per-view stream (to order, simply visit M-1Global.com).

With the exception of three fighters, all of the combatants scheduled to compete on Friday successfully made weight. Spanish fighter Rogent Lloret, who will headline “Breakthrough’s” undercard during a free Sherdog.com stream (8:15 p.m. ET), was granted permission to weigh-in on Friday after visa problems delayed his arrival to the U.S.

Additionally, former Tunisian Olympian Ferrid “The Hurricane” Kheder weighed in at 159 lbs, four pounds over the contracted lightweight limit for his bout against DREAM veteran Daisuke Nakamura. Despite Kheder’s inability to make weight after having his flight from Los Angeles canceled Wednesday night, Nakamura did not let those expecting Nakamura vs. Kheder to steal tomorrow’s show down, as he accepted the fight. For his troubles, Nakamura will receive 10% of Kheder’s purse.
All remaining fighters made weight, including the headliners for “HDNET FIGHTS PRESENTS M-1 BREAKTHROUGH,” “King” Mo Lawal and Mark “The Smashing Machine” Kerr. Kerr, once considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world is making one last attempt at a comeback in hopes of re-writing an infamous legacy. That legacy was chronicled in the critically acclaimed HBO documentary The Smashing Machine.

In addition to Lawal vs. Kerr, “Breakthrough” will also feature a special sparring exhibition between M-1 fighters “The Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko and newly-crowned Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi.

** Denotes that due to visa issues, Lloret will be allowed to weigh-in Friday.

*** Denotes that bout changed to catchweight of 155 lbs. and that fight has been changed from pro status to amateur status.

Editor’s Notes: Check out our talk with King Mo Thursday night. Also, a little known fact about this card is that female fighter Adria Caplan, who is fighting Mollie Ahlers-Estes, is the wife of Five Ounces of Pain owner, Sam Caplan.